Pretoria - Tshwane council Speaker Dr Muruwa Makwarela has buckled under pressure from political parties to call for a review of the current council rules and orders with a view to amend them to accommodate the hosting of hybrid and online meetings.
This was after a Monday council sitting was marred by chaos and disruptions when parties demanded that Makwarela boot out councillors joining an ordinary sitting on a virtual platform.
Virtual meetings have constantly been a bone of contention among councillors who believed that Makwarela was abusing his powers by allowing them to take place.
Protests from councillors against Makwarela’s decision reached a boiling point on Monday when threats were made to collapse the meeting if he fails to heed to calls to remove those participating through microsoft teams from attending.
ANC chief whip Aaron Maluleka was among those fighting for the exclusion of councillors on a virtual platform from taking part.
He told Makwarela that “the virtual platform meeting is illegal” and that he must remove them in the absence of a council report endorsing his decision.
His fellow party councillor, Dr Kgosi Maepa, said there was no provision in council rules applying to microsoft teams meeting.
He questioned how Makwarela would enforce authority of the rules and orders on councillors taking part online.
“If they are on teams what rules and orders apply to them. We don't know what they are doing and we don’t know whether they are the right people,” Maepa said.
He also suggested that there must be an amendment done on rules and orders if council wanted to allow people on teams.
Makwarela explained that the history behind the hybrid meetings was informed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to him, the committee on rules and ethics was in the process of attending to the current rules and orders, which were promulgated in January 2013.
“In short this calls for an amendment of the rules and orders so that we should not be found wanting with the rules and orders. The way forward is that we update the rules and order so that we must not be found wanting and also not found to be shying away from the advent of the current industrial revolution generally known as the fourth revolution,” he said.
He said there would be time when councillors would be asked to discharge their duties through the hybrid or online platforms.
Council’s deputy chief whip Katlego Makgaleng said there was a precedent in terms of an online meeting and that many decisions have been taken using the platform.
“It can not be erased because someone feels that the people should not be attending the meeting. Many decisions have been taken through online and we continued to do that even after the state of the disaster.”
Pretoria News